Press release
Dornbirn, June 2011
New arts venue
Zumtobel illuminates Zaha Hadid exhibition in the Mobile Art Pavilion
The end of April saw the opening of a new arts venue in front of the Institut du
Monde Arabe in Paris: the Mobile Art Pavilion designed by renowned architect
Zaha Hadid – a breathtaking structure in a formal language of continuous fluidity.
Until autumn, the Mobile Art Pavilion showcases the exhibition “Zaha Hadid, une
architecture”. For this exhibition, Zumtobel has designed and provided a lighting
solution matching the building’s organic look: Arcos LED spotlights, which were
especially developed for art applications, and minimalist LED spots of the multifunctional Supersystem lighting system have been installed.
For Zumtobel, collaborating with renowned artists and dealing with light,
architecture and art has always been a priority: many innovative impulses have
been triggered by international project partnerships with architects, lighting
designers and artists. The Mobile Art Pavilion, too, covers a completely new field of
experience in the interplay of architecture, light and art.
The Mobile Art Pavilion was designed in 2007 for the CHANEL fashion house by
Pritzker Prize laureate Zaha Hadid. After having travelled to Hong Kong, Tokyo and
New York, the structure boasting organic forms has now been donated by CHANEL
to the Institut du Monde Arabe where it will be used to host exhibitions by talented
artists from Arab countries.
The current opening exhibition is devoted to the architect of the Mobile Art Pavilion
herself and presents a selection of works by Zaha Hadid. This allows visitors to
genuinely immerse into the architect’s formal and conceptual repertoire: the Mobile
Art Pavilion translates the intellectual and physical into the sensuous. Using a wide
range of media, the architecture unfolds through spatial sequences which engage
the visitor in unique and unexpected environments.
Architect Zaha Hadid about her idea of mobile art: “I think through our architecture,
we can give people a glimpse of another world and enthuse them, make them
excited about ideas. Our architecture is intuitive, radical, international and dynamic.
We are concerned with constructing buildings that evoke original experiences, a
kind of strangeness and newness that is comparable to the experience of going to
a new country. The Mobile Art Pavilion follows these principles of inspiration.”
Zaha Hadid’s architectural language is characterised by generating a sculptural
sensuality with a coherent formal logic. The Mobile Art Pavilion is a new kind of
architecture. “It is an architectural language of fluidity and nature, driven by new
digital design and manufacturing processes which have enabled us to create the
Pavilion’s totally organic forms – instead of the serial order of repetition that marks
the architecture of the industrial 20th century,” explains Zaha Hadid.
The unique fluid forms of the Mobile Art Pavilion are continued from the outer shell
to the interior, providing a structure for the torus-like exhibition loop. “Zaha Hadid,
une architecture” displays a variety of projects and research agendas covered by
Zaha Hadid Architects in recent years. The work is presented using different media,
including architectural models, projections and silver paintings, and complemented
by a customised lighting system. Ultimately, visitors are invited to experience the
architecture of Zaha Hadid within this ensemble of architecture, art and light by
exploring the Mobile Art Pavilion itself and viewing the exhibits.
“Providing the interior lighting solution for such a unique object as the Mobile Art
Pavilion was a special opportunity for us to show that light as an accentuating
factor is able to unfold tremendous creative power”, explains Zumtobel Project
Manager Burkhard Ehnes. Visitors strolling through the exhibition rooms are guided
by precisely focused light attracting their attention and unleashing visible
dramaturgic and emotional aspects that are conveyed to architecture, exhibits and
visitors. This atmospheric framework is made possible by contemporary features
provided by LED technology. The colour temperature of the – DALI-controllable –
Arcos LED spotlights installed by Zumtobel can be continuously adjusted within a
range between 2700 K and 6500 K. This ensures differentiated accent lighting
supported by additionally installed Supersystem LED spots. Providing subtle
illumination focussed on individual points, the lighting concept emphasises the
special qualities of the Mobile Art Pavilion’s architectural structure. This is further
enhanced by the luminaires installed: a network of guiding curves is attached to the
pavilion’s internal ceiling and floor in specific points, unfolding a series of minimal
stretch fabric surfaces. The resulting continuous spatial network is translated into
two material systems: a black structural space frame made from CNC milled
guiding rails out of hard foam that are coated in polyurethane, as well as white
suspended textile membranes. The luminaires are mounted on the black guiding
rails. The luminaires blend perfectly into the interior structure. Thus, light becomes
a creative element in the Mobile Art Pavilion, escorting visitors during their
fascinating exploration of the interplay of forms, logic, sensuousness and emotions.
Captions:
B1 | Experiencing art in art: the Mobile Art Pavilion’s fluid architectural language
also affects its interior currently showcasing the opening exhibition “Zaha Hadid,
une architecture”. Its organic forms and structures enable a constant variety of
exhibition spaces, creating a unique context which facilitates the viewing of art as a
collective experience.
B2 I Exhibition lighting developed by Zumtobel: thanks to gentle LED lighting, beam
angles providing accent lighting and discreet spotlight design, the interior is given
an exciting appearance.
B3 I The lighting fixtures of the Arcos LED spotlight range and the Supersystem
lighting system integrated into the black CNC milled guiding rails remain completely
unobtrusive. The contrast between the light room segments – focussed on the
exhibits – and the dark room segments cannot fail to attract the visitors’ attention.
B4 I Visitors are enthralled by the harmonious combination of architecture and
lighting, and the creative power resulting from this, which can be experienced in the
exhibition areas of the Mobile Art Pavilion.
Publication of this document is free if due acknowledgement is made: B1-B4
Francois Lacour
For more information, please contact:
Zumtobel Lighting GmbH
Nadja Frank
PR Manager
Schweizer Strasse 30
A-6851 Dornbirn
Tel. +43-5572-390-1303
Fax +43-5572-390-91303
nadja.frank@zumtobel.com
www.zumtobel.com